The Killer Within
by kora22
Summary: When an innocent cub is found dead, Simba and his friends have to find out who's behind it before any more lives can be taken, but this proves to be much more difficult than they thought.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I'm just striking the cubs' minds, but what effect will that have? Who knows... Right now, they have much bigger things to worry about.

* * *

**Chapter One: The Twins**

"How much farther to the Pride Lands, Dhambi?" a cub asked his brother, who was walking along side him.

"Not much farther, Makamu." Dhambi answered. "I think that's the border just up ahead."

These two cubs were the spitting image of each other. It was obvious that they were twins. Both of them had dark brown fur and strange, silvery tufts of fur on their heads. They also had the same brown eyes.

"I can't wait to get there," Makamu said. "We've been walking for hours."

"Just keep your cool when we get there," Dhambi reminded his twin. "We both know how you get... Way too hyper."

"I can't help it!" Makamu argued. "At least I know how to have a little fun, unlike you."

Dhambi just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just remember, we can't screw this up, or else we're in trouble... Like we did in that last pride."

"That was your fault," Makamu said. "If weren't so-"

"Just shut up!" Dhambi snapped. "I don't want to hear another word from you until we get to the Pride Lands!"

"Fine..." Makamu pouted. "No need to yell..."

Despite the way he was treated by Dhambi, he knew Dhambi cared about him... His personality was just that way. Besides, they still saw eye to eye on many things, and they always stuck together.

"Though, I do want to know one thing," Makamu said.

"Yes?" Dhambi asked, not seeming particularly interested in what his brother had to say.

"What do we do when we get there?"

"You know exactly what we have to do," Dhambi said flatly. "We need to ask if we can live there."

"Oh... Right."

Dhambi once again rolled his eyes at his twin. "You can't possibly be that dumb. I suppose we know who we got the brains in the family..."

* * *

It had been about two weeks since Angani's confrontation with Mako, and the atmosphere around the Pride Lands had been quite dreary. Simba couldn't help but notice all that was happening. First, Wildfire had appeared, then he later kidnapped Tora. Then, the father Nala never knew about had forced her into committing cold-blooded murder, damaging her mentally. Then, there was the latest event... Angani had killed her old enemy, Mako, but she felt even worse than they did before. He wasn't sure what could happen next.

Simba walked over to Nala, who was laying by the water hole. Despite what she had been through. she seemed to be making some progress in getting back to normal, but she still had a lot of depression.

"Are you feeling okay?" Simba asked.

"Uh, yeah..." Nala said. "I guess."

"You don't sound so sure," he replied.

"Really, I'm fine," she assured him.

Just as Simba was about to say something to her, a voice yelled from behind him.

"Hey! Are you Prince Simba?"

Simba turned around to face this aggressive speaker. What he saw was two cubs, clearly twins, each of them with silver tufts of fur on their heads. He could tell right away that the one who spoke to him was going to get on his nerves.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Simba asked.

"We've heard of you..." the cub said. "But where are my manners, you don't even know who we are. I'm Dhambi, and this is my twin brother, Makamu. We need a favor."

"That depends," Simba said, not really wanting to do this jerk any favors, "what is it?"

"We would like to stay here," Dhambi said. "You see, my brother has become exhausted, and this is the only pride that we've come across."

"Why should I?" Simba asked. "You aren't exact-Ow!"

Nala stood up and nudged Simba in the side.

"Simba, just do it," she told him. "He's doing it for his brother, not himself."

Simba sighed. "Fine... But you better not cause any trouble."

"Oh, don't worry," Dhambi said. "I may seem bad, but I would never want to cause trouble, especially in the famous Pride Lands," he grinned at Simba as he made an 'X' over his chest. "Cross my heart."

Simba eyed him suspiciously, but decided to drop it. "Whatever."

"Come, Makamu," Dhambi said to his brother. "Let's go get some water." As the pair walked over to the water hole, they walked passed Haiba, who was on his way over to Simba and Nala.

"Who are they?" Haiba asked.

"They're twin brothers," Simba said. "Their names are Dhambi and Makamu."

"Twins?" Haiba said with a sly grin. "That's twice the fun..."

"Don't get your hopes up," Simba warned him. "Dhambi doesn't seem like the romantic type."

"Yeah," Nala said, "he does have a bad attitude, but it would be wrong for us to not help them. No need to stoop to his level."

"I guess..." Simba said. "At least his brother didn't seem bad, he just stayed quiet. It's clear Dhambi is the one in charge."

"Yep," Nala said, "but he-"

"Guys!" Kora yelled as he made a beeline for the three cubs.

"What's wrong?" Simba asked, noticing Kora's expression and his clear anxiety.

"There's... a... body..." Kora panted, completely out of breath form running.

"Where?" haiba asked.

"Out... in the field. Follow me!"

Simba, Nala, and Haiba didn't hesitate as they ran after Kora, who was heading in the same direction he had come from.

* * *

When Simba, Nala, and Haiba arrived to where Kora led them, they couldn't believe what they saw. nala had to cover her eyes from the sight in front of her.

"Oh, no..." Simba said,

There, in front of the group, was the slaughtered body of another cub. It made all of them sick.

* * *

**A/N: ** So, what do you think of Dhambi and Makamu? I like them myself. Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see to find out about this poor cub that they found. I'll see you then.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hm... I have you all speculating, and I even surprised some of you. Excellent, keep coming up with those theories. I love it.

**Greg M 94: **Nothing like a good Interceptor phrase, is there? As for the cub being familiar, I guess you'll just have to see for yourself...

**snheetah: **What can I say? Cliffhangers are starting to grow on me... They're so fun, well, for me at least.

* * *

**Chapter Two: A Gruesome Sight**

"What happened?" Haiba asked, turning his head away from the grisly sight in front of him.

What he was looking at was indeed the body of a cub... At least what was left of it. It looked to be the body of a female. Her stomach had been completely torn open. What looked to be her intestines were lying on the ground, hanging out of the opening. Her throat had also been violently slashed, leavind a very large pool of blood around her head, but the oddest thing were the two large X's scratched into her back.

The sight was hardest on Nala. She couldn't take something like this.

"I need to get out of here," she said. "I think I'm going to puke."

"It's fine," Simba told her. "You can go if you want," As Nala walked away, he turned his focus back to the dead cub, resisting the urge to gag at the sight. "Now, we need to figure out what happened."

"I can't imagine who would be horrible enough to do this," Kora said. "Do you recognize her?"

"I don't know her," Simba replied, "but I have seen her before. We should go tell my dad."

"Before we do, what's up with those X's?" Haiba asked. "It's like some sort of marking."

"I don't know..." Simba said. "Let's figure it out after we tell someone."

* * *

"Hey! Wake up!"

"Huh?" Kulaani said as he opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep in a small copse of trees where he liked to sleep a lot. He looked up and found two cubs looking down at him, both had silver tufts of fur on their heads.

"Are you okay?" Makamu asked him.

"Uh... Yeah," Kulaani replied, standing up. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, the fact that your covered in blood may have something to do with it." Dhambi said sarcastically.

Kulaani looked down and saw that his paws were stained with blood, and his chest was covered with it. There was also some on his face that he couldn't see. He didn't have a scratch on him, but it looked like he had been involved in a massacre.

"What the heck!?" he exclaimed. "I don't know where this came from!"

"You better go wash it off." Makamu said. "Its gross."

"Wait, who are you two?"

"Dhambi and Makamu," Dhambi introduced himself and his brother. "We've recently moved in."

Kulaani just nodded and left. He really wanted to get that blood off of himself.

As the twins watched him walk away, Makamu laughed. "Man, he was a mess."

"Yes," Dhambi smirked. "He was."

* * *

Kulaani was just about to step into the water hole, Simba, Haiba, and Kora saw him, and were visibly surprised about his appearance.

"Did you get hurt!?" Simba asked. "You're covered in blood!"

"No," Kulaani answered. "I'm fine. I woke up from my nap and I was covered in it."

"Hm..." Haiba said, eyeing the cub suspiciously. "How can we be sure you're telling the truth?"

"What are you talking about?" Kulaani asked.

"We just found a cub; she was slaughtered, blood everywhere," Haiba told him. "And we find you, covered with blood?"

"Are you accusing me!?" Kulaani growled, getting in Haiba's face. "I didn't kill anybody!"

"Why else would you have that much blood on you, with no injury?" Haiba asked. "It all makes perfect sense! You committed the murder, and now, you're trying to wash away the evidence!"

"I haven't killed anybody... Until now!"

Just as Kulaani lashed out at Haiba, Simba got between the two to stop a fight from breaking out. "Stop fighting!" He turned to Haiba. "Haiba, you just don't accuse somebody like that," then he shifted to Kulaani, "but I will say that it is strange that you are covered in blood and you don't know why.

"He's still the prime suspect!" Haiba exclaimed.

"We'll worry about all that after we tell my dad." Simba said. "I'll go see him, try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

After Simba left, Haiba looked at Kulaani. "Oh, and another thing... Red really isn't your color."

* * *

"I can't believe somebody would do this..." Mufasa said as he looked at the slaughtered body of the female cub Simba and his friends discovered.

"Let alone to a cub," Sarabi said. "Do you think it was hyenas?"

"No," Mufasa answered. "They never kill and leave the body. They would have eaten it. This was done just for the sake of taking a life."

"I'll go inform her mother," Sarabi said. "She'll be devastated."

"It's awful that the other cubs were the ones that found her," Mufasa said. "They shouldn't have had to see this."

Sarabi nodded. "Let's get back to Pride Rock."

* * *

Later that day, most of the pride was up in the den. A cub had been brutally murdered, and they had no idea by who. However, talk about Kulaani began to circulate, mostly from some cubs that had overheard he and Haiba arguing. The only cubs down at the water hole were Simba, Nala, Haiba, and Sora. Kora and Mheetu were up in the den with Tora, and the others had disappeared for the day, like they usually do, including Kulaani. The last Simba saw Dhambi and Makamu was up near the den.

"Now, Kulaani's gone, right after a vicious murder?" Haiba said. "Coincidence?"

"Haiba, just drop it," Simba said. "Kulaani didn't do anythi-"

That's when they all heard a scream pierce the air, causing all of them to spring to their paws.

"What was that!?" Simba yelled.

"It came from this way!" Haiba pointed.

"Nala, you stay here if you want," Simba said. "I have a feeling this is bad."

"I'll just shut my eyes," she told him, not really wanting to be left alone after that.

The four cubs ran in the direction the scream had come from, expecting to find the worst...

* * *

When the cubs arrived at the location the scream had originated from, their fears were realized... But it was much worse than what they had expected. Another cub was lying on the ground, in a pool of blood, a single cut across here throat and two X's scratched into her back, just like the first cub. It wasn't nearly as brutal as earlier, but there was no mistaking who this cub was.

Sora felt his heart sink. "No..." he said as he looked at the nearly pure white cub that lied dead, tears forming in his eyes.

Akili, his girlfriend, was dead.

* * *

**A/N: **A little tension between Haiba and Kulaani... But is Haiba right, or is he jumping to conclusions? Then, there's the second murder... Sora's heart is now crushed. Well, see you for the next update.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Let's continue off that little cliffhanger that I left you on...

**ThatPersonYouMightKnow: **Good theory you have there... But I'm not going to say anything...

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Tracks**

"No!" Sora cried as fell down next to Akili's body. The most important animal in the world to him was now dead. His heart had been shattered.

"That's two now..." Simba said. "Who could be behind this?"

"Hm..." Haiba said as he looked at Akili. "Those markings on her back, they're the same as the ones on the cub from earlier, in the same spot," Then he noticed something. "Hey, look at those paw prints..."

"What paw prints?" Nala asked, facing away from Akili's corpse. She couldn't bare to see it.

Simba looked to where Haiba was, and sure enough, there was a set of bloody paw prints leading away from the crime scene. They were heading towards the jungle.

"How long ago did Kulaani leave?" Haiba asked.

"I don't know..." Simba said. "Maybe twenty minutes ago? He said that he would be gone for the rest of the day."

"How convenient..." Haiba said as his eyes followed the prints. "He says he's leaving, then Akili turns up dead. Coincidence? I think not!"

"Sometimes I wonder if you think at all..." Simba sighed. "I still don't think Kulaani committed any murder. Let's just follow these tracks, then we'll know for sure who did it." He looked back at Sora.

"Some one needs to stay here with him," Simba said.

"I will," Nala spoke up.

Simba gave her an uncertain look. "Are you sure? Will you-"

"I'll be fine," Nala assured him, not completely sure herself. "You and Haiba follow the prints, I'll stay here with Sora until the adults show up."

Simba nodded. "Let's go, Haiba."

* * *

It took Simba and Haiba just over an hour to reach the jungle. The paw prints had faded out awhile ago, but it was clear that they were heading straight to the jungle. Whoever had killed Akili, and most likely the other cub, wasn't far. They must be using the jungle as their hideout. They were

"Its not looking good for Kulaani..." Haiba said.

"Do have something against him or something?" Simba asked.

"Nope," Haiba replied. "I just don't take kindly to murder..."

"You'll see," Simba said. "Kulaani is completely innocent," Simba and Haiba pushed through some thick vines that were hanging from a tree, and were surprised to find Kulaani on the other side, asleep. Simba became deflated when he saw Kulaani's paws, which were covered with dried blood.

"Kulaani!" Simba yelled to him.

Kulaani's eyes shot open, he looked around at his surroundings, remembering that he was in the jungle.

"Huh?" He said, still a little tired. "What are you two doing here?"

"Akili was murdered..." Simba told him. "We followed bloody paw prints to the jungle."

"And who do we happen to find with bloody paws when we get here?" Haiba pointed at him. "You!"

Kulaani looked down at his forepaws and saw the dry blood. He had no idea where it had come from.

"I've been asleep..." Kulaani said. "I got here and I stopped to take a rest. I don't know where this blood came from, I swear!"

Simba and Haiba looked at each other. As much as Simba hated to admit it, Haiba looked to be right about Kulaani. This was too coincidental to ignore.

"You need to come back with us," Simba told him.

Kulaani looked at him, shocked. "You can't actually think I would murder anybody! Let alone one of our friends!"

"I don't know what to think," Simba said, "but right now, you're the only suspect."

"You have to be kidding!" Kulaani exclaimed, standing up. "Fine! But you'll see I didn't do it, there has to be an explanation for why my paws have blood on them... But I couldn't give you a reason because I haven't come into contact with any blood, just like earlier."

"Just confess now," Haiba told Kulaani, "and I just might take you on a date, even if you are a killer. Deal?"

Kulaani rolled his eyes. "Can we just go?"

* * *

"Oh, my..." Dhambi said as he and his brother walked over to Sora and Nala, who were still where Akili's body had been. The adults had removed her from the spot, but Sora and Nala decided to stay where they were.

"What happened here?" Makamu asked, noticing the large amount of blood that had been left over from the murder.

"Somebody murdered our friend..." Nala sighed.

"Oh..." Dhambi said, glancing over at his twin. "Well, stuff like this happens. You just need to suck it up and move on."

Sora picked up his head and looked at Dhambi, his eyes blood-shot from crying. He couldn't belive how insensitive Dhambi was; there was absolutely no emotion in his voice when he said that.

"Suck it up!?" Sora yelled. "That's what you come over here to say? Look, the last thing I want to deal with is your stupidity, so, you better leave before I hurt you!"

"You?" Dhambi chuckled. "Don't make me laugh!" He unsheathed his claws. "But if you really want to-" Dhambi stopped when Makamu put a paw in front of him to stop him from advancing. Dhambi looked at his brother, who was shaking his head.

"Fine, I'll leave," Dhambi said, "but you better watch it... You never know where danger may be lurking..."

As the twins walked away, Simba, Haiba, and Kulaani were coming toward Nala and Sora.

Sora quickly pushed Dhambi from his mind, and focused on the cubs who had just returned. "Did you guys find anything?"

"We have the killer right here!" Haiba said, pushing Kulaani in front of him.

"Hey!" Kulaani shouted, stumbling forward. "I told you that I didn't do it!"

"You killed her...?" Sora breathed.

"No!"

"Explain the blood!" Haiba exclaimed.

"I can't!" Kulaani argued back.

"You seem overly defensive..." Simba said, "I'm starting to think that you actually-"

"I'm not going to admit to a crime I didn't commit! I can't believe you guys would accuse me of this!" Kulaani's anger was boiling over. He didn't know why they wouldn't believe him.

"Look," Nala said, "Let's just all calm down and-"

"What are you cubs still doing out here?" Mufasa asked as he walked over to the group. "You all need to get to the den, its too dangerous to be out here. We don't want any of you getting hurt."

"Sir," Haiba said stepping forward, "I think we've found who did it." He pointed at Kulaani.

"But I didn't-"

"He was found with blood on him after both murders and bloody tracks leading to him." Haiba said. "Lock him up, and give him no love... At least for a month."

Kulaani looked up at the king. He was terrified. If the king didn't believe him, then there was no telling what could happen. His punishment would be severe, and he feared it would be the highest punishment allowed. Death.

Mufasa looked down at the cub. "Kulaani..."

What was he going to say? All Kulaani was hoping for was for a chance to defend himself.

* * *

**A/N: **Kulaani's case isn't looking good... What will Mufasa say? Why is Haiba a cop all of a sudden? Why would I be asking you these questions? You'll get your answers next time... Well, some of them...


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry that I haven't updated... I've been trying to win fake medals featuring an omnisexual lion cub... In all seriousness, the heat has left me unable to focus, but it finally cooled down a little.

**ThatPersonYouMightKnow: **Nope, no tickle torture in my stories, especially in a case like this.

**Emerald dreamer96: **Yeah, I'm not sure how I've managed to keep him in character, but make him serious at the same time. It's weird.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Kulaani's Judgment**

Mufasa had to admit, it was strange that these murders occurred and Kulaani was found with blood on him each time. He knew Kulaani enough to know he wasn't the type of animal to commit senseless murders, but the evidence was stacked against him.

"I didn't do it..." Kulaani said weakly. "I wouldn't... I couldn't kill anybody."

"We can't ignore this evidence, Kulaani," Mufasa said.

"I swear I don't know how I got blood on me!" I don't-"

"Hey..." Nala said, looking at something on the ground, near where Akili's body had been. There was some light brown hair lying on the ground. The same color as Kulaani's.

"How much more evidence do we need?" Haiba asked. "It's hard to deny that he did it now."

"I didn't do-"

"Kulaani, as of now, you are being held responsible," Mufasa said. "There is simply too much evidence to support that you did it. Come with me to the den, your punishment will be decided today."

As Kulaani followed Mufasa away from his friends, he turned to face them once more. "I didn't do it... If I'm punished, it'll be for a crime I didn't commit. Just remember that..." Then he continued to Pride Rock with the king.

"I still don't think he did it," Simba said as they watched Kulaani leave.

"How can you argue with that evidence?" Haiba asked. "It has him written all over it!"

"I say he did it," Sora said bitterly. "I never trusted him."

"You're just saying that out of grief," Nala told him. "We all know he wouldn't do something like this, so, we need to find out who really did it."

"Right," Simba said. "I know the rules of the Pride Lands, and the penalty for murder is not good..."

"Well, what more can we do?" Nala asked. "Whoever the killer is, even if it is him, is fast. They pull it off and manage to get away so quickly."

"And the sun is starting to go down," Haiba said. "Maybe we should just wait until tomorrow."

""I just hope Kulaani doesn't get a punishment that will be acted on right away," Simba said. "We'll need time to figure this out. Whoever is behind the murders is clearly psychotic and skilled. It won't be easy to catch them."

"You're right..." Nala said. "Let's just hope that nobody else gets killed..."

* * *

"We can't put this cub to death," Sarabi said. "He's only a child."

Mufasa had left Kulaani outside while he and the other pride members discussed his punishment. In the minds of most of them, he was guilty, but their opinions on how he should be punished differed.

"The child the killed my daughter!" the mother of the first murdered cub yelled out.

"Not to mention Akili," another said. "This cub deserves the worst punishment!"

"I'm with Sarabi," Sarafina sided with her best friend. "He shouldn't be put to death. Nobody even knows for sure if he did it."

"Unless you show me evidence that shows otherwise," a lioness said, "I have to say the evidence we have against him is pretty solid."

"We need to take a vote," Mufasa told everyone. "Just make sure that you think you are making the right choice, this is a big decision. Now... Let's start."

* * *

"Hey, Kulaani," Nala said as she and the others approached the entrance of Pride Rock. "What are you doing out here?"

"Everyone is in there talking about me," he told them. "I'm worried what they'll decide."

"Well, hopefully they'll give you what you deserve!" Sora exclaimed.

"Sora!" Simba shouted. "He didn't do it... I know he didn't. We just need to find who did... The only problem is that I have no clue who would do this. It has to be somebody living in the Pride Lands."

"I don't know either," Nala said. "Someone who-"

"Kulaani," Mufasa said as he walked outside the den. "We've come to a decision about you..."

"You did?" Kulaani asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Yes... We've determined that you're guilty." Mufasa said. "You're punishment was decided based on a majority vote of the pride. It's been determined that you will receive the most severe punishment... Death."

"That's not fair!" Kulaani yelled. "I get death for something I didn't do!?"

"Ultimately, the evidence against you was enough to hold you accountable." Mufasa told him. "You will have until tomorrow morning, then you must face your punishment."

"Why!" Kulaani cried as Mufasa walked back into the den. "I didn't do it! Why won't anyone believe me!"

"We do, Kulaani," Simba told him. "Well, Nala and I do. We'll figure something out in the morning. It's almost dark. We'll make sure nothing happens to you... They can't kill an innocent animal. Now, let's at least try and get some sleep. We have stuff to do in the morning."

* * *

The moon was full that night, some light lit up the inside of Pride Rock's den, but not nearly enough to see sufficiently. Everyone in the pride was asleep, except for one cub. who snuck silently around the sleeping pride. The cub slowly snuck up to Simba while he slept.

"Time to do what I've wanted to all along..." the cub whispered to himself. "Time for the prince to die... Then the princess as well."

As the cub snuck up to the unsuspecting cub, he accidentally kicked a rock, causing it to roll across the den floor. It came to a stop right next to Simba's head. The noise was enough to cause Simba to slowing open his eyes. He woke up to a pair of glowing eyes glaring down at him, and claws on his throat. However, whoever it was suddenly removed his claws upon seeing Simba awake, and then ran out of the den.

Simba was wide awake now, and he didn't hesitate to chase after whoever this cub was. He ran outside and down Pride Rock, where he saw a cub running toward the water hole.

"Hey!" Simba yelled. "Come back here!"

He had no idea who this was, but there was one thing he knew... This was the murderer. The only question was, was it Kulaani, or was it somebody completely different?

* * *

**A/N: **We're finally going to learn the identity of the killer... Is it Kulaani? I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? Well, see you for the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Well, now that I'm not too busy, I can finally get this story wrapped up.

**KShara Khan:** The pride is pretty relaxed in this series, they've had many join the pride, not really the best idea is it?

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Truth**

Simba was gaining on the cub that had snuck up on him while he was sleeping, and once he reached him, he was going to see who it was. It was clear to Simba that this unknown cub was most likely the killer that they had been searching for, but he had to get closer to identify the cub.

_Almost there... _Simba thought as he closed the gap between himself and the cub. _Time to find out who this is... And get some answers out of them._

Simba was now only a few feet away from his target as they quickly approached the water hole. Using all his power, he leapt at the cub ahead of him. He had him. It was time to end this... At least that's what he thought. Just as Simba was about to tackle his supposed assailant, the cub suddenly darted out of the way with agility that Simba had never seen before?

Simba hit the ground and slid on his stomach before coming to a stop at the edge of the water hole. He lifted his head up to look around for the cub.

"What the heck was that!?" he exclaimed as he stood back up. He began walking away from the water's edge, still looking around the water hole. It was only a few moments before a voice spoke up.

"It's finally just us, Simba..."

Simba whipped around and saw a cub standing there. The silver tuft of fur on his head was shining in the moonlight.

"You?" Simba said.

"That's right," Dhambi said with an evil smirk.

"You killed Akili?" Simba asked, "And that other cub?"

"Yes... I did," Dhambi replied, "but I couldn't do it alone of course..."

Simba was about to ask him another question, but he was suddenly met with a blow to the back of his head. He was sent rolling past Dhambi and right into the water hole. He resurfaced, his head throbbing from the hit. He saw his attacker standing right where he had been.

"Makamu?" Simba asked as he gently pulled himself out of the water and walked closer to Makamu.

"Heh... Didn't expect it from me, Simba?" Makamu asked. "Well, I do tend to fool others with my personality..."

"Why are you two doing this?" Simba asked. "We let you live here, and this is what you do?"

"I must say," Dhambi said, "you made this much easier than we had planned. Maybe this pride shouldn't be so quick to accept others in..."

"But if you're the killers," Simba said, "what happened with Kulaani? Why did he have blood on him both times?"

Dhambi laughed. "We're professional assassins, Simba. We've learned to cover our tracks well. Oh, and the truth is, we didn't even need to kill those cubs. Our mission was to only kill you and the princess."

"Then why?" Simba asked.

"Just for a little fun," Makamu told him. "They were alone, so we figured we might as well... Besides, you and the princess were never alone, so, we decided to wait until tonight to strike."

"You're both sick!" Simba yelled, resulting only in laughs from the two twins.

"Oh, Simba..." Dhambi laughed. "You don't even know the half of it. Now, enough stalling. It's time for you to die!"

Dhambi launched himself at Simba, but the prince was ready and jumped out of the way before he was taken down. Dhambi landed on his paws next to his brother.

Dhambi smirked at Simba. "Hm... So, you are pretty quick on your paws, but you can only evade us for so long. We have never let a target get away."

This time, both of the twins ran at Simba. This time, he wasn't quick enough, and all three of them rolled into the water hole. Makamu and Dhambi quickly overpowered Simba and were holding his head under the water. It wouldn't be long before he drowned.

"Can we stay to watch Kulaani's execution tomorrow morning?" Makamu asked. "I really want to see his blood spill all over the ground."

"Of course," Dhambi said. "It will be such a-"

_Splash!_

Something, or someone, slammed into Dhambi and knocked him off Simba, it also caused Makamu to release his paws from Simba's head. Simba brought his head up and gasped for air, he wouldn't have lasted much longer. He looked around rapidly, trying to figure out what was happening... That's when he saw Nala fighting with Dhambi a few feet away.

"Nala!" Simba yelled as he made his way over to her, Makamu swimming after him.

"Get off me!" Dhambi shouted as he batted Nala across the face, knocking her toward Simba.

"Get down!" Simba said as he sunk under the water, taking Nala with him. Dhambi and Makamu had leaped at them right as they disappeared under the water, causing them to crash into each other.

"Ouch!" Dhambi yelled as he put a paw to his head. "Watch it, you idiot!"

"Shut up!" Makamu yelled. "It wasn't my fault! Where did they go!?"

Then they saw the two cubs resurface at the edge of the water hole, and climbing out.

"What are you waiting for!?" Dhambi yelled at his brother. "Get them before they go and wake everybody up!"

"Why me!?" Makamu yelled back.

"Just go!"

Makamu swam to the edge of the water and pulled himself out and ran after Simba and Nala, who were already on the move.

* * *

"How did you know?" Simba asked as they ran back to Pride Rock.

"I didn't," Nala replied. "I woke up and saw that you weren't there, so, I knew something had to be up."

"I have you now!" Makamu shouted as he tackled Simba, tripping up Nala at the same time.

"Now, I'll finish this mission..."

Simba had to think of something, Makamu was clearly stronger than both he and Nala. There was only one way to get rid of these cubs, and that would require the king.

Before Makamu had a chance to kill Simba, the prince yelled as loud as he could. "DAAAAAD!"

"Aw... Calling for your daddy?" Makamu asked. "Too bad that h-"

Then, there was a deafening roar from Pride Rock. It was clear that Mufasa knew that Simba was in trouble, and it would only be a short time before he came down from Pride Rock. Makamu took notice of how close they had gotten and suddenly backed off Simba. The whole pride was sure to be awake now, which meant trouble for both himself and his brother. He took off back toward the water hole. They had to get out of there quick.

As Makamu disappeared into the darkness out in the distance, Mufasa arrived to where Simba and Nala were.

"What happened?" Mufasa asked, noticing they were both covered in scratches.

"We were attacked..." Simba told him. "Kulaani isn't the killer."

"He's not?" Mufasa asked. "Then who was it?"

"Those twins that moved in," Simba said. "They came here to kill Nala and I, but they also committed both of the murders today."

"Where are they now?" Mufasa asked.

Nala looked out to where Makamu had gone. "Most likely on the run."

"Let's get back to the den," Mufasa said. "The pride is awake now, I'll send out a search party immediately. I also need to let Kulaani know that he is spared... Just fill me in on the details later."

"Okay," Simba said. "Right after I stop being sore..."

* * *

Makamu had found Dhambi back at the water hole and told him what happened. They both agreed that they had to get out of there quick. However, they knew that this failure may have come with a price... Not from the Pride Lands, but from their boss. They both ran from the Pride Lands until they reached the jungle, where they had been staying. For cubs, they were fast, so they were sure they had put a good distance between themselves and anyone who may be looking for them.

The pair walked through the dense foliage until they came to a clearing. On the opposite side, in the trees, there was a pair of glowing green eyes glaring at them.

"Did you kill them?" the owner of the eyes asked.

"Uh... We ran into a minor problem..." Dhambi said nervously.

"What kind of 'minor problem?'" the voice asked, clearly getting angrier.

"The whole pride knows about us now..." Makamu said. "Boss, we-"

A huge flame suddenly shot out of the darkness. Makamu ducked just in time before being fried. Wildfire then stepped out of his cover.

"You screwed up!" he yelled at the two cubs. "You call yourselves professionals!? I should have just done it myself!"

Dhambi tried to speak up. "We almost-"

"Almost doesn't cut it!" Wildfire yelled in his face. "Both of you, get out of my sight. I really want to kill you right now, so, I suggest you take that offer. I don't want to look at you for the rest of the night."

The twins dropped their heads in shame and walked out of the area.

"Idiots..." Wildfire said as he watched them walk away. "I thought they could pull off two simple killings... But I guess I was wrong," He shot a flame at a tree, immediately igniting it. "I guess I'll do it myself... As long as those fools don't screw it up again."

Wildfire smiled evilly to himself.

"Simba and his friends will be in for a _fiery _surprise. Ha-Ha-Ha!"

* * *

**A/N: **Like my little twist at the end? They were working for Wildfire, and boy, he isn't happy... Well, it'll be on to the next story, where Haiba gets a little... Horrible... See you then!


End file.
